


One Plus Three is Four

by DiLithiumDragon



Series: Hunters AU [2]
Category: South Park, Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Backstory, Developing Friendships, Implied Relationships, M/M, Male Friendship, Trans Gregory, hunters au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23264704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiLithiumDragon/pseuds/DiLithiumDragon
Summary: Mole was born into this life. Gregory and Craig were raised in it. In comparison to them, Tweek had a long way to go before he was properly trained enough to hunt monsters alongside them.But that was okay. Because Tweek was determined to join them on this and Craig was willing to teach him.
Relationships: Christophe "The Mole" & Craig Tucker, Christophe "The Mole"/Gregory of Yardale, Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak, Gregory of Yardale & Craig Tucker
Series: Hunters AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1012584
Kudos: 7





	1. Origins

**Author's Note:**

> More Hunters AU finally!! holy shit I've had this written and waiting in my notebook for years.  
> Anyway, let's explain how our four boys ended up working together.

They hunted monsters. They were cursed to fill their lungs with smoke. They often left him alone to his own devices.

This was just the world Mole grew up in.

His grandmother was around enough to call him that: Mole. He liked the way she said it in her rustic accent and, admittedly, he loved burying himself in the dirt. Soon, it was the only name he wanted to be known by.

One day, his mother came back without his father. Neither his mother nor his grandmother wanted to talk about it, so Mole never asked. When hunting monsters, there was always a risk. Even as a child, Mole understood this.

Soon after that, however, his grandmother brought back a young kid named Gregory. She told Mole that they'd be caring for this new face from then on. While she and his mother hunted, Mole took it upon himself to teach this Gregory all about the family business.

Gregory was full of fight, ready to hunt these creatures. Considering they didn't have much else of a choice, Mole decided to like this new friend.

//

These monsters upturned Gregory's whole life, so it was only natural to hunt them all down in return.

Gregory had been itching to join the hunt, to start participating in this 'family business', as Mole called it, ever since he'd first seen the masters at work. There was quite a bit to learn, however, and since he'd been jumped into this life a little late (and had a crippling handicap that needed taking care of before starting at all), he had a while to wait before being able to officially join the pack.

Mole, of course, was devastated that Gregory couldn't be his partner right away (though the boy did his best to pretend like he wasn't bothered; Mole enjoyed their rivalry too much to outright admit that they were best friends), but didn't mind pairing with a different hunter too much. This other hunter was as sour and rebellious as Mole and they ended up getting on quite well. Too well, in fact.

If Gregory wasn't so sure of his and Mole's friendship, of the bond they'd forged over their years growing and learning together, he'd have hurried to get through the studying and the surgery just in case.

But this other hunter turned out to be reliable and very likeable. Even if he was perfectly infuriating with how perceptive he could be. This Craig didn't let Mole run out into the fray on his own, was unafraid to call Mole out on his stubborn tendencies, and provided a calm head to Mole's more rash instincts. He even accepted Gregory once things had been taken care of.

In the end, Gregory decided that Craig was the best possible first partner for Mole. Even if it had made Gregory just jealous enough.

//

As a child, Craig had believed in monsters while Clyde did not. It turned out that Craig had been right to believe, though he really wished many times after that he'd been wrong.

After Craig had managed to somehow stall long enough to save his sister (with, of course, the help of Clyde and Stripe), the hunters offered him a chance to join and learn about their world. How could either of them have refused an opportunity like that?

(They'd been far too young, but that was something that occurred to Craig years after being in this business for too long to get out. Those hunters had inadvertently ruined his and Clyde's lives and that was something that stuck with him for a long time.)

Craig and Clyde worked well enough together, but Clyde's heart was too soft for this kind of thing. It took witnessing a particularly brutal demon exorcism for Clyde to concede that this wasn't something he could do anymore. Even at the time, Craig didn't begrudge his friend for it, though it left him without a hunting partner. The circle of hunters he associated with sent word through the grapevine and, very soon after, he got a call from one of the head Bobbys, a guy named Percival, telling him that there was a new hunter also in need of a partner.

Enter into Craig's life the man known as the Mole.

Since Mole was "new", Craig expected it to be a headache having to train this guy on what to do, which monsters were capable of what, and all that. Mole was, however, quite knowledgeable and very willing to get his hands dirty in killing their targets. The headache instead came from having to reign in this guy's worse instincts, from being too stubborn to just charging in without waiting for backup.

Communication was all ready a weak point of Craig's, so they got into a lot of arguments before Mole understood why it was Craig got so angry with him for this reckless behaviour.

It didn't help that Mole's childhood bestie was butthurt over Craig being partners with Mole before he had the chance. That in and of itself was a whole other drama that Craig didn't even want to touch with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. But Gregory aided in communicating what Craig couldn't to Mole, so Craig tenuously accepted this guy's presence amongst their group.

Within time, naturally, things clicked into place and the three of them became real friends. Mole finally trusted Craig enough to wait and Gregory stopped being such a jealous bitch and then it was the three of them out on their own, hunting monsters.

//

There were two constants in Tweek's life. His parents and their coffee shop (and, by proxy, the warm smell and taste of their coffee) was the first. The second were the underpants gnomes.

At first, Tweek thought he was just crazy. Tiny gnomes invading his room just to steal his underwear seemed like a pretty far-fetched thing that only an insane person would come up with. Even Token, Tweek's only friend, had doubts about the whole thing.

Years and years of them not going away led to Tweek doing some research into the subject. He ended up finding that it had some basis in urban legends, like the Wendigo or Mothman. After seeing that and having Token sleep over to confirm it wasn't just in Tweek's mind, they couldn't dismiss it as the ramblings of a crazy person anymore.

They tried everything to get rid of the gnomes, which was the one thing none of the information Tweek had found detailed how to do. Setting up traps or rat poison didn't work, they were too smart and dexterous for that. Trying to reason with them yielded no response whatsoever. Blocking the way or moving his underwear only stumped them a short while before they figured out how to get around these obstacles.

Desperate to the point of irrationality, Tweek finally just grabbed one to see what would happen. It bit him and the others swarmed after him, chasing him out of his own house. Token called his friend Clyde over to investigate and, after getting the full story and looking at Tweek's injury, Clyde made a call out to some group he referred to as 'pest control'. Tweek wasn't sure these hunters could take care of the job (and was upset that this had been an option the whole time that no one had mentioned to him before) and insisted on accompanying them to watch their work.

That was how he learned of this hunting business. That there were very real monsters out there in the world.

Tweek couldn't just go back to his normal life after that. He had to get out there and help others like him.

Mole and Craig, thankfully, accepted him on. He entered the world of hunters and monsters and didn't regret it for a single second. They couldn't have ruined his life when it'd all ready been such a mess, after all.


	2. First Day in the Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig didn't know why, but he liked this Tweek guy. Even if frustration loomed in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Tweek's dialogue is fun... I love paranoid and jumpy characters whoop. And there's never a dull moment for a Hunter.  
> Craig is also so done with Mole and Greg it's great. Craig was surprisingly fun to write for, too.  
> (there'll be a continuation to this, but it's a bit spicy, so I wanted to put it in its own post. ;; )

"L-Let me go with you, pl-please!"

The most surprising thing about this wiry, panicked kid was his determination to not leave well enough alone. They'd finished the hunt, cleared out those weird-ass gnomes for this kid so he could go back to his life, yet he wanted more. It made both of them pause and look back at this kid. Mole, having better reaction time, said, "Listen, kid. If you were this stumped by these small fry, you'd be hopeless against the real winners we deal with most days." Mole's tone was a bit harsh, but he spoke with the authority of a true world-weary hunter. "Give it some more thought before you decide to do this."

The kid wilted, but persisted. "I-I can't just forget a-about this n-now that I know it all e-exists! So. Please, l-let me join! I w-want to learn!"

Mole grimaced, more out of frustration than anger. Classically stubborn until the end. Craig took that moment to step in and speak up, surprising even himself. "Y'know. He did handle himself really well back there."

The kid perked up, hopeful. Mole, on the other hand, turned to glare at Craig. "What are you doing?"

"Just saying." Craig shrugged. "Three's kinda uneven. We could use one more to balance things out."

Mole heaved out a breath, so goddamn dramatic about it, but Craig had a point and he knew it. The three of them doing this in rotation always left someone stir crazy back at their base of operations. This kid had proven himself and it wasn't like they had many other candidates jumping at the chance to work with them. The most logical course of action would be to train this kid into a respectable hunter and join them.

Craig allowed himself the smirk. Any way he looked at it, he'd won. "C'mon. We'll accept your application, kid."

"M-My name's Tweek, and I'm n-not that young!"

The kid, Tweek, hurried over to walk with them. Craig noticed the backpack the guy was sporting and liked him even more. Mole groaned loudly and pulled out a fresh cigarette from his jacket pocket. "Fine. You get to train him, though."

"Duh." Craig slowed enough to allow Mole to take the lead. Mole preferred being ahead and, admittedly, Craig always liked watching the smoke furl up into the air from the near constant cigarettes. Tweek matched Craig's pace and he offered a smile at their new recruit. "You have any weapon experience?"

"Uh." Tweek glanced away, tugging at the straps of his backpack. "D-Does that broom count?"

That'd be a 'nope', then. Craig logged that away for later, then smirked over at Mole's back and called, "And you, you ready to partner with Greg for a while?"

"Oh, Dieu." Mole reeled back as the realisation hit him, then launched into a plethora of swears. "Putain de -- fuck! Merde, merde, merde!"

Craig laughed as his friend continued. He didn't understand how their relationship had gotten to this point, but it sure was fun to watch when it was as tame as this. Taking this Tweek on had been worth it just for that. Craig offered his hand towards Tweek and next said, "Tweek, huh? I'm Craig. Welcome to the life."

"C-Craig." Tweek nodded, not even noticing the handshake offer. "Thanks for letting me join."

"Don't thank us yet." Mole grumbled around the cigarette in his mouth. "We're ruining your life."

That made Craig frown and his throat tightened. It was true that being a hunter separated them from normal society, but he hadn't known Mole to view things the same as him. It was a constant thought in the back of Craig's mind, considering his own experiences with the business, but Mole had been in this world since he was a baby. To Mole, this life was the only life. And thinking of things that way just made Craig even more terrified and furious.

Despite this, Tweek continued with them to their car. The guy didn't even seem to hesitate as he replied, "I'd be more s-surprised if my life w-wasn't ruined by those th-things all ready."

That was as solid an answer as Craig had expected from this determined guy. Even Mole relented at that, exhaling a puff of smoke into the air and saying, "Give it a while. You'll come to regret this in due time, just like the rest of us."

Mole opened the driver's door and climbed into their car. Craig gestured for Tweek to follow, then climbed into the front passenger's seat. Tweek, still undeterred, got in the back and they drove off, headed back to their base.

Greg was, of course, awaiting their return as eagerly as ever. At least he hadn't attempted burning the place down again in a fit of boredom. Craig was forever flabbergasted by the man's pure incompetence at cooking and so grateful that Mole was the best cook out of the three of them.

Before Greg had a chance to ask, Craig motioned to Tweek with a jab of his thumb and said, "Got a new recruit. You owe me."

"Pardon?" Greg looked from Craig to Tweek to Mole in confusion. Unhelpfully, Mole shouldered his way past them and clomped into the kitchen area. At least Mole had learned to channel his frustration into something less destructive. Greg made a displeased expression after their stubborn friend, then smiled politely at Tweek. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gregory, these two's other partner. Which," Gregory pivoted towards the kitchen, his tone accusatory. "I take it the hunt was successful?"

"Garden variety pests that got too confident in their nest." Mole called back from the kitchen. "Now shut up and let me cook."

Craig rolled his eyes and headed towards the rooms hallway, motioning for Tweek to follow as he said, "Let's see which weapon you can start with."

"Ah." Tweek jumped, then lurched forward to hurriedly shake Greg's hand. "I-I'm Tweek, nice to-to meet you. Thanks for, uh, having m-me."

"Tweek?" Greg questioned, incredulous.

Tweek rushed after Craig, not answering. It hadn't really occurred to Craig that the name wasn't normal, considering Mole. Whatever. Craig shrugged it off and headed inside their room, then went straight for the closet to take stock of their choices. He held it open for Tweek to look and said, "We'll start you off easy with some basic handgun training. Then we can work on knives and other small things you gotta know at least a little. Sound good?"

"U-Uh." Tweek seemed to fumble with his words a moment, then nodded quickly. "O-Okay, sounds, um. S-Sounds good!"

He clenched his hands into fists, a childish depiction of that unwavering determination. It was cute enough to make Craig smile. "Great. After you know your basics, you can pick out a favourite and get more detailed training on that. Let's get started."

He packed a few choices, showing Tweek the proper handling and transportation techniques for each one, then headed back out and to the car. While Craig wasn't enthused at the prospect of leaving his two other partners alone, Mole was busy cooking and that'd buy them at least an hour. As long as Greg wasn't an idiot and left Mole alone. God, they were so stupid about their relationship.

"Being a hunter's a little different than what you're probably used to." Craig said as soon as they were both in the car and heading out towards the shooting range. Tweek frowned at him in confusion, so he continued. "We're usually hopping from place to place, chasing the next job and keeping as low a profile as we can. As such, we're on the road a lot, usually with little down time in-between, and we've got a slew of fake names and IDs to get us into crime scenes and the like."

"Wh-What?" Tweek shrieked suddenly, making Craig wince. "Isn't that illegal? Oh geez, th-that'd get us all a-arrested and thrown in jail a-and sentenced to death!"

Craig snorted through his nose. "That escalated quickly."

"B-But. But it's illegal, r-right? Th-They're gonna catch us a-and we'll get in t-trouble!"

"Haven't got caught yet." Craig countered smoothly. "I trust the info Percival provides us and as long as we stick to our plans and what works, everything'll be fine."

Tweek didn't look convinced, asking next, "What if it's n-not, though?"

"We kill people-shaped things sometimes." Craig said, bringing out the hard truth right away. "We'd be considered criminals one way or another. All we can really do in the end is trust what we've got and prepare for the worst."

At that, Tweek finally relented and sat back to tug at the front of his shirt. "O-Okay. I guess. I guess that makes s-sense."

"Glad we've got that sorted out."

Craig shook his head shortly. He understood where the concern came from, but it was no less frustrating to deal with. If the world learned of all these supernatural beings existing for real, and usually with more hostility than anyone was comfortable with, it'd be pure pandemonium and a headache to deal with. So thank god for that not being the case.

They drove in silence for a short while, Craig tapping his thumb against the steering wheel (and thankful that Mole wasn't there with his shitty taste in music) and Tweek fidgeting with his hands, shifting in his seat, looking around at the car's interior and also at the scenery passing by outside. The guy really couldn't sit still, twitching and shaking like a real paranoid wreck. Maybe those gnomes had done a bigger number on him than they'd first thought.

"U-Um." He piped up again, sudden enough to catch Craig by surprise. "H-How. How long have you b-been, um. Been doing th-this?"

A wave of nostalgia overtook Craig, making him gnaw at his lip in uncertainty. He'd asked the same question to the hunters that had recruited him. He tried to shake himself out of it, focusing back on the road as he answered, "Got picked up when I was nine, but didn't start going out on our own hunts until I was thirteen."

Tweek recoiled in shock. "Th-That young?"

"World's a dangerous place." Craig replied smoothly. "You know it now, too."

They fell back into silence as Tweek thought this over. Maybe Craig should've softened the blow on that. He'd been in this life far too long. That bitter taste came back into his mouth and he grimaced, hoping that the shooting range would help loosen them both up and steer them away from this uncomfortable atmosphere. They had a lot of training to do and a lot of time to spend together, so they may as well keep things tolerable between them. Unlike Greg and Mole's train wreck of a relationship.

By this point, Craig wasn't sure if that mess could be solved. The two were willing to die for one another, but continued allowing petty arguments to get in their way. If Craig managed to find a romantic partner amidst all this shit in their lives, he vowed to be as upfront about his feelings as possible. Just to show those two how they were fucking around in all the wrong ways.

"Oh, uh." Tweek spoke up again suddenly, startling Craig out of these thoughts. "Can we -- maybe -- would it b-be all right to make a-a quick stop somewhere before w-we get there?"

Craig snorted through his nose and questioned, "Somewhere?"

"Well -- a-a gas station, or-or something." Tweek clarified, though just barely. "I, um. Coffee -- I need a-a coffee."

"Won't that just wind you up more than you all ready are?"

"No. It's -- y-you'll see."

Tweek gave an unhelpful shrug, unwilling to fully explain it. He'd have to learn sooner or later that everything in the realm of what was usually unbelievable could be something they'd seen or heard of before. Taking that first step, Craig said, "So it helps you relax? That's interesting."

"Y-Yeah, it--" Tweek gave him a funny look as he turned off the path to find the nearest gas station. They could fill up while they were there, too. "You mean. You'll believe me about this?"

"Need I remind you of those underpants gnomes we just cleared out for you?" Craig smirked over at the high-strung guy, who shrank in on himself in embarrassment. Satisfied, Craig continued, "Mole also smokes like a chimney and never smells or it or has issues keeping up. He might be the fittest one among our group, even. So, yeah, we run the gambit on weird. You'll get used to it soon enough."

Again, Tweek's frown took on an odd expression of aggravation. He didn't respond, however, so Craig didn't ask. They found a gas station, took their pit stop, and continued on their way. Craig discovered that Tweek was left-handed, which would make training a bit harder, but was interesting enough that he didn't mind the challenge.

What he did mind was Greg texting him partway through to inform him that they were moving base. Percival had sent them another hunt. That was one aspect of the lifestyle he'd been hoping to ease Tweek into, but whatever. After they were finished with all the basics, Craig asked, "You had a driver's license, right?"

"Um. Yeah!" Tweek replied, looking relieved to be taking his protective equipment off. "Wh-Why do you ask?"

"Good, you can help drive." Craig answered, handing over the keys and heading to the front desk. As he was leaving, he tossed back over his shoulder a, "We got a thirteen hour trip ahead of us."

"Thirteen?" Tweek shrieked.

Craig chuckled and shook his head. Despite being completely new to this, the guy was a quick learner. It'd help them get to a point where he could start going on hunts maybe before Greg and Mole blew up on each other. It'd help Tweek form a cohesive part of their unit, too. That was honestly the highest hurdle for anyone to get past.

When he found Tweek waiting for him outside by the car, ready to keep learning, Craig decided that liking this guy was possibly one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Things were going to get fun.


End file.
